Suntower Systems http://suntowersystems.com Publishers of SAFE: Simple Accounting for Forms Experts Wed, 02 May 2012 17:01:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Windows 8 Preview http://suntowersystems.com/windows-8-preview/ http://suntowersystems.com/windows-8-preview/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 17:00:28 +0000 jchwebdev http://suntowersystems.com/?p=1284 We’ve been getting a number of questions regarding Windows 8:

  • Should we install the Preview?
  • Compatibility with SAFE?
  • Benefits?

We’ll have detailed information on all this very soon, but it’s far enough along in the process to render an opinion (and save you some time.)

Don’t bother.

For SAFE users, or for desktop users in general, Windows 8 is a non-event. Sorry for the negative tone, but our disappointment is, at the moment, fairly profound. We have had misgivings for quite some time, but until the Preview was released, we had hope that a last minute change in strategy would be forthcoming. Nope.

In a nutshell, Windows 8 is a couple of things:
1. For the desktop user it is Windows 7; albeit with a few handy improvements.

2. There is a new, alternate interface called “Metro” which has garnered a lot of attention. It is meant to provide a ‘Tablet-like’ interface which is consistent across all Windows devices, from phones to tablets to the desktop. It is beautiful and works great on phones and tablets. (In fact, if Apple had not already cleaned up with ‘iEverything’, it might’ve had a chance.) However, this interface is pretty much a disaster on the desktop. Almost everyone we have spoken with has turned it off after a few brave attempts to make it work. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: no browser or tablet interface can ever compete with a first-rate Windows or Mac/OS UI for typing-based applications. In short, Metro can be thought of as an ‘add-on’ and not a core improvement to Windows.

3. Even worse for us, Windows 8 Tablet applications (where Metro does well) are not written with the same code-base as desktop applications. Which means, none of SAFE can be directly ported over. And there’s really no direct integration between Windows Tablet apps and Windows desktop apps. So we’re left with a choice between continuing to code for Android apps and redoing everything for the Win Tablets. So our plans to have a ‘SAFE for Windows Tablet’ are currently on hold.

New versions of Windows always seem to alternate between ‘Good!’ and ‘What were they thinking?’ Windows 98? Good. Windows 2000? Meh. Windows XP? Great! Vista? Oy veh. Windows 7? Finally! Apparently we’re now in the ‘what were they thinking?’ phase. Our hope is that Windows 9 will be the tablet integration we’ve been hoping for (assuming MS doesn’t completely lose all market share!) For now, we see no downside in sticking with Windows 7 for the foreseeable future.

]]> http://suntowersystems.com/windows-8-preview/feed/ 0 SQL Server 2012 Pricing Changes http://suntowersystems.com/sql-server-2012-pricing-changes/ http://suntowersystems.com/sql-server-2012-pricing-changes/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:26 +0000 jchwebdev http://suntowersystems.com/?p=1218 If you’re looking at purchasing (or upgrading) SQL Server, it’s important to recognize that the pricing structure has changed in a big way. Prices are now determined by Core as opposed to per Server.

Over the years, savvy users have noticed that it’s pretty easy to set up Virtual Servers (multiple instances of SQL Server on one physical machine) and squeeze a lot more value from each machine. After all, a Virtual Server can now often run two or even three separate instances of SQL Server on one machine just as fast as three separate machines! And of course, you’re only paying for one SQL Server license.

Well, Microsoft has wised up. So now, you pay by the Core. This can be more expensive—especially if you are a typical SAFE customer with only one or two servers. If you have more servers, your costs could be cheaper. On the other hand, the CAL fee (the price per desktop license) has been significantly reduced. So for many companies it can be a net wash. As always, our suggestion is to contact your provider to discuss your options.

One final note: If you are using SQL Server Express, you may not think this affects you. But the licensing for Express has also changed. The good news is that databases can now be much bigger: 10gb as opposed to the previous 4gb limit. If you have a number of years of history that could delay your need to go to a paid version of SQL Server for quite some time. On the other hand, the maximum RAM that Express can handle has been reduced to 1gb. So, if you have a particularly RAM thirsty application (like Ollie or ThinSAFE) you may be forced to upgrade, even though your database is well within the new limit.

]]> http://suntowersystems.com/sql-server-2012-pricing-changes/feed/ 0 Does your program offer thumbnails of form images as part of your product catalog. http://suntowersystems.com/does-your-program-offer-thumbnails-of-form-images-as-part-of-your-product-catalog/ http://suntowersystems.com/does-your-program-offer-thumbnails-of-form-images-as-part-of-your-product-catalog/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:41:50 +0000 admin http://suntowersystems.com/?p=634 It can. You can link any graphic to a product. If you create GIF or JPEGs of your products, you can right click on them and view the product thumbnail.

]]> http://suntowersystems.com/does-your-program-offer-thumbnails-of-form-images-as-part-of-your-product-catalog/feed/ 0 We manage forms for several large customer with several locations. Can SAFE handle this? http://suntowersystems.com/we-manage-forms-for-several-large-customer-with-several-locations-can-safe-handle-this/ http://suntowersystems.com/we-manage-forms-for-several-large-customer-with-several-locations-can-safe-handle-this/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:41:32 +0000 admin http://suntowersystems.com/?p=632 Yes! SAFE lets you set up what we call corporations. Each corporation may be assigned as many customers as are needed. Billing can be done independently for each customer, but Forms Management can be implemented for the entire corporation.

So for example, you might have a corporation called ‘Acme Sporting Goods’ with ten locations. Each location can be billed separately for their orders, but inventory control, reorder notices and usage analysis can be tracked by product for all locations together as a single entity. This saves the customer money, improves product availability, and leads to more profits for you!

Also, within each customer, you can assign an unlimited number of Ship To locations and track usage and sales information for each Ship To for each customer or get a global view of usage by product for each form across all Ship Tos and customers within the corporation.

]]> http://suntowersystems.com/we-manage-forms-for-several-large-customer-with-several-locations-can-safe-handle-this/feed/ 0 How is Forms Management implemented? http://suntowersystems.com/how-is-forms-management-implemented/ http://suntowersystems.com/how-is-forms-management-implemented/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:40:54 +0000 admin http://suntowersystems.com/?p=630 Simple. Run count sheets for forms sorted by the employee assigned to each customer, then take counts. Enter the counts and post along with the rest of the day’s business. During posting, the program updates average usage by month, quarter, and year for each form, so you can run an analysis at any time and get up to the day results.

A big advantage of SAFE is that counts may be taken at any time. There are no cut-off dates, or special periods into which counts must be entered. However, the more often, and the more regular you are about taking counts, the more accurate your average usage figures will be. A complete log is kept of each form’s activity: sales, releases, and counts.

]]> http://suntowersystems.com/how-is-forms-management-implemented/feed/ 0 Does that mean I need to enter a separate form for every item I sell? http://suntowersystems.com/does-that-mean-i-need-to-enter-a-separate-form-for-every-item-i-sell/ http://suntowersystems.com/does-that-mean-i-need-to-enter-a-separate-form-for-every-item-i-sell/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:40:01 +0000 admin http://suntowersystems.com/?p=627 No! Enter a separate form for every type of product that needs to be tracked individually. This means forms where you want to track inventory, and forms management items, to track usage. Most of our customers enter only a handful of generic forms for their custom work. For example, they keep a form on file called ‘THREE PART INVOICE’ and another called ‘CONTINUOUS TWO PART CHECK’. Items on every order can then be altered with a few keystrokes to adjust vendor, quantity, cost, pricing, and customer notes. This saves typing, and maintains an overall sales history by type of item without forcing you to key
in a new form for each order.

]]> http://suntowersystems.com/does-that-mean-i-need-to-enter-a-separate-form-for-every-item-i-sell/feed/ 0 How is inventory controlled in your system? http://suntowersystems.com/how-is-inventory-controlled-in-your-system/ http://suntowersystems.com/how-is-inventory-controlled-in-your-system/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:39:40 +0000 admin http://suntowersystems.com/?p=625 All items to be sold, including custom forms, stock forms, ad specialties, and services, are stored in a central products and services data file. Each ‘form’ is defined by a number of attributes: Is it a product or a service? Stock or custom? Warehoused item? What type of product is it? Is it strictly used by a single customer? Location? And so forth. You can attach a printer specification to the item which is printed along with purchase orders and RFQs to the vendor.

]]> http://suntowersystems.com/how-is-inventory-controlled-in-your-system/feed/ 0 Is there cost center reporting? http://suntowersystems.com/is-there-cost-center-reporting-if-so-how-many-digits-are-we-allowed-for-both-cost-center-and-location-i-d-s/ http://suntowersystems.com/is-there-cost-center-reporting-if-so-how-many-digits-are-we-allowed-for-both-cost-center-and-location-i-d-s/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:39:12 +0000 admin http://suntowersystems.com/?p=623 Every ship to is considered a ‘cost center’. Each ship to can be assigned up to a fifteen digit ID (such as for a bank branch). Additionally, there is also an eight digit Location ID field to indicate the storage location of the product within each customer site.

]]> http://suntowersystems.com/is-there-cost-center-reporting-if-so-how-many-digits-are-we-allowed-for-both-cost-center-and-location-i-d-s/feed/ 0 Does SAFE allow for customer budgets to be entered for forms management? http://suntowersystems.com/does-safe-allow-for-customer-budgets-to-be-entered-for-forms-management/ http://suntowersystems.com/does-safe-allow-for-customer-budgets-to-be-entered-for-forms-management/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:38:52 +0000 admin http://suntowersystems.com/?p=621 Yes. And if you like, SAFE will alert you to reorder when usage approaches the budgeted amount.

]]> http://suntowersystems.com/does-safe-allow-for-customer-budgets-to-be-entered-for-forms-management/feed/ 0 Is there an easy way to manage open orders? http://suntowersystems.com/is-there-an-easy-way-to-manage-open-orders-such-as-a-queue-showing-which-orders-to-follow-up-on-each-day-based-on-the-scheduled-ship-date/ http://suntowersystems.com/is-there-an-easy-way-to-manage-open-orders-such-as-a-queue-showing-which-orders-to-follow-up-on-each-day-based-on-the-scheduled-ship-date/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:38:24 +0000 admin http://suntowersystems.com/?p=619 Yes! SAFE has a feature called ‘Business Reminders’ which displays all orders scheduled to ship today. This can automatically run each time you start SAFE. Business Reminders can also tell you which A/P checks are due and which items are to reorder, and which contact manager to-dos you have automatically.

]]> http://suntowersystems.com/is-there-an-easy-way-to-manage-open-orders-such-as-a-queue-showing-which-orders-to-follow-up-on-each-day-based-on-the-scheduled-ship-date/feed/ 0